Parenting is the hardest job there is. It is unrealistic to think and expect that we, as parents, are always emotionally regulated! Life is complicated and stressful. Yet, research supports the idea that the more emotionally regulated the parent or caregiver is, the healthier the “climate” is in the family. Self-regulation is the ability to modulate the...
By: Dana Thomas, Ed.S, CPDCE, CPDPE Have you ever wondered how many decisions we, as parents, make in a day? How much time do you think we, as parents, spend making each decision and answering each question? I don’t have the statistics, but I do know that the questions from children and the responses from...
By Gabi Granoff, PsyD As a parent, you are your child’s biggest support. Only you can understand your child’s needs and deepest desires, their biggest fears, and most untapped talents. You may even dream about what they will achieve in the future. No parent wants to see their child struggle, and many will work hard...
By Dana Thomas, Ed.S, CPDCE, CPDPE There are no perfect children and there are no perfect parents. Each day, we do our best to parent our children, and some days are better than others. One aspect of parenting that makes it especially challenging, is that there is no “one size fits all” solution. Each parent...
by Dana Thomas, Ed.S, CPDCE, CPDPE Let’s face it, parenting is hard. Kids can be very challenging and we, as parents, don’t always make the best parenting choices. Think, for a moment, about a regularly stressful time in your house. Is it bedtime? Trying to get out the door to school or work on time?...
by Dr. Jennifer Gibson Although many of your friends and family told you that children “change your life,” you really don’t know exactly what this means until it happens. Parenting is not easy, and neither are committed relationships. The change from pre-kids to post-kids can be difficult, especially on your relationship. Before kids, you and...
Finding ways to effectively manage our children’s behavior as parents these days can be very challenging. Although building a family is an ever-changing exercise, the basic principles of behavioral learning and behavior change remain the same. The following principles, when followed consistently, are both creative and effective in managing children’s behavior. Predict problem situations and...